Shiva Asar B'Tamuz -The Fast of Tammuz 17
By Hillel ben David (Greg Killian)
II. Why do we fast on Tammuz 17?
III. The breaking of the "Luchot"
IV. The discontinuance of the Korban Tamid
V. Breaching of the wall around Jerusalem
VI. Apustumus-the-Wicked burned a Sefer Torah
VII. The Placing of an Idol in the Sanctuary
Shiva Asar B'Tamuz, the 17th of the Hebrew month of Tammuz, begins a three-week national period of semi-mourning which culminates with the Ninth of Av (Tisha B’Av). It is a period where many tragedies have historically occurred.
This period of tragedies is an ongoing process designed to bring us to repentance for our sins. The destruction of the two Temples was a gradual process and could have been stopped at any point if we would simply return to the ways of HaShem. The way of HaShem is to bring punishment in stages in order for us to perceive our wicked ways and return to Him.
As we return, in the spiral of time, to the energies of this time, we must observe the unfolding drama and use it as a wakeup call in order that this year, at this time, we may see the fulfillment of this prophecy:
Zechariah 8:18-19 Again the word of the HaShem Almighty came
to me. This is what the HaShem Almighty says: "The fasts of the fourth,
fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy
festivals for
Shiva Asar B'Tamuz is known in the Tanach[1] as the fast of the fourth month, as we can see from the preceeding pasuk.
Tammuz is the fourth month counting from Nisan:
Nisan
Iyar
Sivan
Tammuz
Av
Elul
Tishrei
Cheshvan
Kislev
Tevet
Shevat
Adar
This unfolding drama, this tragedy of Shiva Asar B'Tamuz, and turning it to a time of joy, is aptly shown to us by HaShem, through His prophet:
Yiremiyahu
(Jeremiah) 32:1-18 The word that
came to Jeremiah from HaShem in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of
We learn from the above that the destruction was done in stages, allowing them to halt or alter it.
When we reach the critical month of "Tammuz", we must remember just what was it that precipitated our downfall. Teshuva, repentance, can be effected even at the last minute of adversity. We can turn the tide, now is a propitious time for teshuva.
The Talmud explains that we
fast because of the five tragedies that befell the
nation of
Ta'anith 26b … ON THE
SEVENTEENTH OF TAMMUZ THE TABLES [OF THE LAW] WERE SHATTERED, THE DAILY OFFERING
WAS DISCONTINUED, A BREACH WAS MADE IN THE CITY AND
APOSTOMOS1 BURNED THE SCROLL OF THE LAW AND PLACED AN IDOL IN THE TEMPLE.
The five tragedies are:
1. The
"Luchot," the tablets upon which the Ten
Commandments were engraved, were broken by Moshe;
2. The
Korban Tamid, the continual daily sacrifice, was discontinued;
3. The
wall around the city of Jerusalem was breached;
4. Apustamus
burnt the Torah scroll;
5. An
idolatrous image was placed in the Beit HaMikdash,
the Holy Temple.
The Talmud tells us the source of our knowledge that these things happened on this day:
Ta'anith
28b FIVE
MISFORTUNES BEFELL OUR FATHERS ON THE SEVENTEENTH OF
TAMMUZ etc. Whence is it known that the Tables [of the Law]
were shattered [on the seventeenth of Tammuz]? For it has been taught: On the sixth of the month [of Sivan] the Ten
Commandments were given to Israel; R. Jose says: On
the seventh of the month. He who says that they were given on the sixth takes
the view that on the sixth they were given and on the seventh Moshe ascended the
mount. And he who says that they were given on the seventh holds that they were
given on the seventh and on the seventh Moshe ascended the mount. For it is
written, And the seventh day he called unto Moshe, and it is further written,
And Moshe entered into the midst of the cloud, and went up into the mount; and
Moshe was in the mount forty days and forty nights.
The [remaining] twenty-four days of Sivan and the sixteen days of Tammuz make
altogether forty. On the seventeenth of Tammuz he came down [from the mountain]
and shattered the Tables, as it is written, And it came to pass as soon as he
came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf . . .
and he cast the tables out of his hands, and broke them beneath the mount.
[THE DAILY OFFERING] WAS DISCONTINUED. This is
a tradition.
A BREACH WAS MADE IN THE CITY. Did
this then happen on the seventeenth? Is it not written, In the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the famine was sore in the city
etc., and in the following verse it is written, Then a breach was made in the
city etc.! — Raba said: This is no contradiction. The one refers to the First Temple and the other to the Second Temple. For it has
been taught: In the First Temple the breach was made in the city on the ninth
of Tammuz, but in the Second Temple on the seventeenth of Tammuz.
APOSTOMOS BURNED THE SCROLL OF THE LAW. This is a tradition.
AND PLACED AN IDOL IN THE TEMPLE.
Whence do we know this? — For it is written, And from the time
that the continual burnt-offering shall be taken away
and the detestable thing that causeth appalment set up. Was there then only one
detestable thing? Is it not written, And upon the wing of detestable things
shall be that which causeth appalment? — Raba replied: There were two [idols] and one fell upon the other and broke its hand
and upon it was found inscribed You desired to destroy the Temple, but I have
handed over your hand to Him.
We know that the tablets of stone, the luchot, were broken
on this day by simple mathematics. Moshe went up
Exodus 24:16 And the glory of HaShem settled on
We also know that Moshe was up on the mountain for forty days and forty nights:
Exodus 24:18 Then Moshe entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he
stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
Sivan had thirty days that year, so we have 24 days of Sivan plus the first 16 days of Tammuz. Moshe, therefore, came down from the mountain on Tammuz 17. When Moshe came down, he broke the two stone tablets:
Exodus 32:19 When Moshe approached the camp and saw the
calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his
hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain.
The Talmud confirms this understanding:
Yoma 4b In what do R.
Jose the Galilean and R. Akiba differ? — In the controversy of these Tannaim.
For we have been taught: On the sixth day of the month was the Torah given to Israel. R. Jose says on the seventh. He
who says that the Torah was given on the sixth day holds that on the sixth it
was given and on the seventh Moshe ascended the mountain; he who holds that the
Torah was given on the seventh assumes that on the
seventh both the Torah was given and Moshe ascended, as it is written, And He
called unto Moshe on the seventh day. Now R. Jose the Galilean is of the same
opinion as the first Tanna, who held that the Torah was given on the sixth of
the month, therefore this happened after the giving of the Ten
Commandments: ‘The glory of the Lord abode on mount Sinai and the cloud covered
him six days’ ‘him’ meaning Moshe- ‘And He called unto
Moshe on the seventh day’ to receive the remainder of the Torah. For if the
thought should come to you that ‘And the glory of the Lord abode’ from the New Moon [of Sivan], so that ‘And the cloud covered
him’ referred to the mountain, and ‘The Lord called unto Moshe on the seventh
day’ to receive the Ten Commandments, surely they had received the Torah on the
sixth day already and also the cloud had departed on the sixth day! — R. Akiba,
however, held with R. Jose that the Torah was given to Israel on the seventh.
Quite in accord with R. Akiba's teaching is the statement that the Tablets were
broken on the seventeenth of Tammuz, for the twenty-four days of Sivan and the
sixteen of Tammuz make up the forty days he was on the mountain, and on the
seventeenth of Tammuz he went down and came to break the Tablets. But according
to R. Jose the Galilean who holds that there were six days of the separation in
addition to forty days [spent] on the mountain, the
Tablets could not have been broken before the twenty-third of Tammuz? — R. Jose
the Galilean will answer you: The six days of the separation are included in
the forty days on the mountain.
The next tragedy the Talmud discusses is the discontinuation of the Tamid offering. The Talmud tells us that we know this happened on this day because we have a tradition from our forefathers that this is so. Rashi explains that the reason why the sacrifice was no longer brought was because the government at the time forbade it.
The Talmud provides some insight into why the korban tamid was stopped::
Baba Kama 82b IT IS
NOT RIGHT TO BREED PIGS IN ANY PLACE WHATEVER. Our Rabbis taught: When the
members of the Hasmonean house were contending with one another, Hyrcanus was
within and Aristobulus without [the city wall]. [Those
who were within] used to let down to the other party every day a basket of
denarii, and [in return] cattle were sent up for the regular sacrifices. There
was, however, an old man [among the besiegers] who had some knowledge in Grecian Wisdom and who said to them: ‘So
long as the other party [are allowed to] continue to perform the service of the
sacrifices they will not be delivered into your hands.’ On the next day when
the basket of denarii was let down, a swine was sent up. When the swine reached
the centre of the wall it stuck its claws into the wall, and Eretz Yisrael
quaked over a distance of four hundred parasangs by four hundred parasangs. It
was proclaimed on that occasion: Cursed be the man who would breed swine and cursed
be the man who would teach his son Grecian Wisdom.
From this day until the end of the siege, the daily offering was not brought.
The Talmud then discusses
the tragedy of the wall of Jerusalem being breached,
the event which led to the overrunning of
Jeremiah 52:6-7 By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine
in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat. Then
the city wall was broken through, and the whole army fled. They left the city
at night through the gate between the two walls near the
king's garden, though the Babylonians were surrounding
the city. They fled toward the Arabah,
The Talmud resolves this inconsistency by explaining that
the verse in Yirmiyahu is referring to the time of the first
The Talmud Yerushalami, the
Jerusalem Talmud, explains that in reality, the breach of the walls occurred on
the 17th during both eras. However, in the time of the first
The burning of the Torah by Apustumus is recorded in the Talmud as an event that happened on the seventeenth of Tammuz. We learn that this was a tradition from our forefathers. The Talmud does not tell us who Apustamus was, or what the significance of the Torah scroll was.
Some sources claim that Apostamos was a Roman general and that this event occurred just prior to the Bar Kochba revolt. Other sources claim that Apostamos was a general of Antiochus and that this event occurred ca. 168 BCE.
This story is recorded in the Talmud Yerushalmi[3], that Apustamus burned the Torah at the crossroads of Lod, while our Hakhamim say it was at the crossroads of Tarlusa.
Josephus[4] gives us some insight into this period:
Now
before this their first mourning was over, another
mischief befell them also; for some of those that raised the foregoing tumult,
when they were traveling along the public road, about a hundred furlongs from
the city, robbed Stephanus, a servant of Caesar, as he was journeying, and
plundered him of all that he had with him; which things when Cureanus heard of,
he sent soldiers immediately, and ordered them to plunder the neighboring
villages, and to bring the most eminent persons among them in bonds to him. Now
as this devastation was making, one of the soldiers seized the laws of Moses (Torah scroll) that lay in one of those villages, and
brought them out before the eyes of all present, and tore them to pieces; and
this was done with reproachful language, and much scurrility; which things when
the Jews heard of, they ran together, and that in
great numbers, and came down to Cesarea, where Cumanus then was, and besought
him that he would avenge, not themselves, but God himself, whose laws had been affronted; for that they could not bear to
live any longer, if the laws of their forefathers
must be affronted after this manner. Accordingly Cumanus, out of fear lest the
multitude should go into a sedition, and by the advice of his friends also,
took care that the soldier who had offered the affront to the laws should be
beheaded, and thereby put a stop to the sedition which was ready to be kindled
a second time.
The Tiferet Israel offers two possible explanations as to the significance of the scroll. One is that this scroll was the one written by Ezra HaSofer, Ezra the Scribe. The text was the most authoritative, and all other Torah scrolls that were written were checked against this one for accuracy and errors. Another understanding is that he burnt every Torah scroll he could find. No matter the explanation, the intent behind Apustumus' actions remain the same: To eradicate Torah from the nation of Israel.
The Talmud tells that the event found in Daniel 12:11 occurred on the 17th of Tammuz:
Daniel 12:11 "From the time that the daily (tamid) sacrifice is
abolished and the abomination that causes desolation (an idolatrous image) is set up, there will be 1,290 days.
Arachin 11b Come and
hear: R. Jose said, Good things are brought about on a good [auspicious] day,
and evil ones on a bad one. It is said, The day on which the first Temple was destroyed was the ninth
of Ab, and it was at the going out of the Sabbath,
and at the end of the seventh [Sabbatical] year. The
[priestly] guard was that of Jehojarib, the priests
and Levites were standing on their platform singing the song. What song was it?
And He hath brought upon them their iniquity, and will cut them off in their
evil. They had no time to complete [the psalm with] ‘The Lord our God will cut them off’,
before the enemies came and overwhelmed them. The same happened the second time
[the second Sanctuary's destruction]. Now what need
was there for song? Would you say that it was on account of the [daily] burnt-offering? But that could not be, for on the
seventeenth of Tammuz the continual sacrifice had been abolished. Hence it was
on account of a freewill burnt-offering! But how
could you think so? Why should an obligatory-offering have been impossible and
a freewill-offering available? — That is no difficulty: A young ox may
accidentally have come to them!
As the verse says that "on the day the Tamid
offering ceased to be brought, an idolatrous image was placed in the Temple." Although the Talmud here does not
mention who placed the idol in the
Noah sent the dove out of the ark , to see if the waters had receded. Genesis 8:9.
Joseph and Samuel are born. It is forty weeks after Tishrei 1.
Moshe' spies search out the promised land. Day 19 Numbers 13, 14 Mishna, Ta'anit 29a
The sin of he golden calf is committed.
Levites kill 3000 Israelites and become set apart to HaShem. Exodus 32:25-29
Fast of Tammuz is the beginning of “bein ha-mezarim”, a three-week period of semi-mourning for the destruction of the Temple.
Other
tragedies that befell the Jewish people on this day:
In 1239, Pope Gregory IX ordered the confiscation of all manuscripts of the Talmud.
In 1391, more than 4,000 Spanish Jews
were killed in
In 1559 the Jewish Quarter of Prague was burned and looted.
In 1944, the entire population of the Kovno ghetto was sent to the death camps.
In 1970,
Shiva Asar B'Tamuz is a fast day. The fast begins approximately an hour before sunrise and continuing until about an hour after sunset (some say at dusk). The primary purpose of the fast is to awaken our hearts to teshuva, to repentance. We must spend the day recalling our transgressions and the transgressions of our forefathers. We must spend the day concentrating on these manners and not seeking our own pleasure. The Torah tells us what to do if we are to avoid the tragedies of our forefathers:
Leviticus 26:40-42 "'But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their fathers--their
treachery against me and their hostility toward me, Which made me hostile
toward them so that I sent them into the land of their enemies--then when their
uncircumcised hearts are humbled and they pay for
their sin, I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac
and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.
The essential purpose
of a fast day is to motivate us to repent. Fasting is the means to the end, not
the end itself!
Is it possible to show that the events of Tammuz 17 were a
punishment that was "measure for measure"? Do these events also show
a measure-for-measure relationship to the
3. The walls of Jerusalem were breached during the Roman siege of the city (in 70 CE);
4. The Greek ruler Apustemos publicly burned the Torah scroll;
5. Menashe, a king of Judea in the
Let us examine the original sin of
Tammuz the 17th. The Children of Israel were
confused by what they considered Moshe's tardiness in coming down from
Shemot
(Exodus) 32:1 "Get up and
make a god for us, for we do not know what happened to this man Moshe who took
us out of Egypt".
Later, they declared this golden calf to be their new god. They worshipped the golden calf and sacrificed to it:
Shemot
(Exodus) 32:4-6 And he received
[them] at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made
it a molten calf: and they said, These [be] thy gods, O Israel,
which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And
when Aaron saw [it], he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation,
and said, Tomorrow [is] a feast to HaShem. And they rose up early on the morrow, and
offered burnt offerings, and brought peace
offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to
drink, and rose up to play.
While still encamped before Mount Sinai, they rejected HaShem Who had taken them out of the land of Egypt, led them through the desert, and given them the Torah! As it says:
Tehillim
(Psalms) 106:20 "They
exchanged their Glory (=HaShem) for an image of a grass-eating ox."
When Moshe observed the worship of the golden calf, he threw the Tablets from his hands and shattered them:
Shemot
(Exodus) 32:19 And the tables
[were] the work of G-d, and the writing [was] the writing of G-d, graven upon
the tables.
With this in mind, we can understand how the punishments of
Tammuz 17, mida kneged mida, measure for measure, through the ages correspond
to the original sin of that day. The most obvious one of
the four punishments listed, is that of Menashe's
placement of an idol in the Temple. Menashe's
placement of the idol in the
The daily Tamid sacrifice personified the service of HaShem
in the
The burning of the Torah by Apustemos paralleled the sin of the Golden Calf in a different way. When Moshe saw that his people had committed such a terrible sin he shattered the Tablets, as has been mentioned. As a punishment for bringing about the destruction of HaShem's Tablets of the law, the Jews of a future era had HaShem's Torah burned before them by a blasphemous ruler.
The breach in the walls of
Shir
HaShirim (Song of Songs) 8:10
"I am a wall, and my breasts are like towers" .
Bava Batra 7b R. Judah
the Prince levied the impost for the wall on the Rabbis. Said Resh Lakish: The
Rabbis do not require the protection [of a wall], as it is written, If I should
count them, they are more In number than the sand. Who are these that are
counted? Shall I say the righteous, and that they are more in number than the
sand? Seeing that of the whole of Israel it is
written that they shall be like the sand on the sea shore, how can the
righteous alone be more than the sand? — What the verse means, however, is I
shall count the deeds of the righteous and they will be more in number than the
sand. If then the sand which is the lesser quantity protects [the land] against
the sea, how much more must the deeds of the righteous, which are a larger
quantity, protect them? When Resh Lakish came before R. Johanan, the latter
said to him: Why did you not derive the lesson from this verse, I am a wall and
my breasts are like towers, where ‘I am a wall’ refers
to the Torah ‘ and ‘my breasts are like towers’ to the students of the Torah?
— Resh Lakish, however, adopts the exposition [of this verse] given [also] by
Raba, viz. that ‘I am a wall’ refers to the community of
Israel, and ‘my breasts are like towers’, to synagogues
and houses of study.
"I am a wall" - this refers to the Torah, which affords protection to its people. "My breasts are like towers" - this refers to Torah scholars.
The Children of Israel, when they rejected the leadership of Moshe and chose a Golden Calf to lead them instead, were showing disdain for the ultimate scholar of the Torah. Also, their sin caused the shattering of the Tablets of the Torah themselves. Since Torah scholars are compared to city walls, a fitting punishment for their sin was that the Jews of Jerusalem in a future generation had their protective wall breached on the anniversary of the original sinful deed.
The fast of Tammuz 17 is observed only from the break of dawn till sundown.
We are to exercise leniency towards the sick. The sick should not fast even if there is no danger.
Pregnant women and nursing mothers are released from the obligation to fast, if they find the fast difficult. Those released from the fast should not indulge in feasting.
Minors are released from the obligation to fast. If they are old enough, they should be trained to eat only simple foods.
One is permitted to wash and oil the body, and to wear leather shoes. Those who are spiritually sensitive should be stringent towards washing and oiling the body.
There are additional prayers to be recited as part of shacharit and mincha.
The following restrictions for the three weeks between Tammuz 17 and Tisha B'Av, should also be observed on Tammuz 17:
Weddings are not held. We refrain from listening to music, dancing, taking pleasure trips, and from getting shaves or haircuts. These are all done to lessen our rejoicing.
We avoid buying new clothes or eating new fruit in order to avoid saying Shehecheyanu. If we are faced with a mitzva that will pass, such as a brit milah, circumcision, or pidyon haben, the redemption of the firstborn, then the blessing is made. If the time for a new fruit will pass, it is customary to save the fruit for Shabbat and to do the Shehecheyanu blessing.
During this three week period, we should be even more careful to avoid dangerous situations. Teachers should not strike their pupils, even lightly, nor should parents strike their children.
The Shulchan Aruch, the Code of Jewish Law, advises us to avoid court cases.
Pious folks set aside time to contemplate and reflect over the destruction of both Temples.
Forbidden also is the paring of nails only during the week in which Tisha B'Av occurs. However, a woman, for the requirements of ritual immersion, is permitted to pare her nails. A mohel is likewise allowed to fix his nails for the requirements of circumcision.
For a person, who shaves daily and is required to do so during this period for reasons of business or financial loss, should, nevertheless, refrain from Rosh Chodesh Av or at least during the week in which Tisha B'Av occurs.
At a circumcision that occurs during the nine days between the Rosh Chodesh and Tisha B'Av, it is customary for the mohel, the sandek, and the parents of the infant to don the Sabbath clothes, but the one who brings in the infant is forbidden to do. However, the woman who brings in the infant customarily wears her Sabbath apparel, as that is the only part of the rite that she can perform. The above may have their hair cut before Shabbat Chazon[7], but not thereafter.
Most poskim hold that both men and women are included in this halacha of haircuts. However, notes Rabbi Shimon D. Eider, "If a woman has excess hair around her temples, it may be permissible for her to remove it. A married woman or one of marriageable age may shave her legs even during the Nine Days."
On the three Sabbaths, occurring between the 17th of Tammuz and Tisha B'Av, we read for the haftorot the three "Prophecies of Doom": "Divre Yirmeyahu" (the words of Jeremiah) (Jeremiah 1:1); "Shimeu devar Adonai" (hear the word of the Lord) (Jeremiah 2:4); and "Chazon Yeshiyahu" (the vision of Isaiah) (Isaiah 1:1). If by error we have read the regular haftorot of the weekly portion, on the first Sabbath, then both haftorot, Divre Yirmeyahu and Shimeu devar Adonai should be read on the second Sabbath, as they are close to one another. If Rosh Chodesh Av occurs on Shabbat, the haftorah HaShamayim kisei (the heaven is my throne)[8] should be read. There are communities, however, where the haftorah Shimeu devar Adonai is read.
In many communities, the custom on Shabbat Chazon is to call the Rav for maftir. In many communities, the haftorah is read with the nigun of Eicha (Lamentations). Although a minor may be called for maftir for most haftorot, he should not be called for this haftorot.
As the month of Av arrives, mirth lessens. We must not build any amusement house, not even a house for our own comfort. Therefore, a pleasure of vacation home, patio and the like may not be constructed during the Nine Days. If we have made a contract with a non-Jew to decorate our house, we should endeavor to induce the contractor, by offering him a small compensation, to postpone the work until after Tisha B'Av. If, however, the work cannot be postponed, it may be performed. If a Jew has a lawsuit against a non-Jew, he should try to postpone it, because of the judgment period, either to the end of the month, or at least until after Tisha B'Av. The moon should not be consecrated before the ninth day of Av has passed.
During The Nine Days all forms of business should be decreased, except when there will be a great loss in business. In this regard, notes Rabbi Shimon D. Eider, a well-respected halachic authority, "If one would decrease his business during this period and it may permanently affect his livelihood, the minhag is to permit active business involvement."
The prevailing custom in all
Also, some women in confinement abstain from meat and wine from the 7th of Av on, for on that day the heathens entered the Temple.
At a religious feast, such as a circumcision, the redemption of the firstborn son (Pidyon Haben), or the conclusion of a talmudic treatise, it is permissible to serve meat and wine. Not only one's parents, brothers and children, and those directly connected with the performance of the precept may partake of the meal, but also ten other guests, provided that these guests would have come to the feast had it occurred at any other time. Such a feast is permissible even on the day before the 9th of Av before noon, but not later than that. The feast, which is generally made on the night before the circumcision, is not mandatory, and, therefore, no meat or wine should be served on this occasion, but the meal should consist of dairy foods.
Concerning the goblet of wine for the havdalah at the conclusion of the Sabbath, if there is a minor who is able to drink the greater part of the goblet, it should be given to him; otherwise, the one who recites the havdalah may drink it himself.
No clothes may be washed during the Nine Days, not even a shirt or a garment which one does not intend to wear until after Tisha B'Av. It is forbidden to give it to a non-Jew to be washed. A Jewess may wash the clothes of a non-Jew; nevertheless, she should refrain from this work during the week in which Tisha B'Av occurs.
During these Nine Days, it is also forbidden to put on or to spread even garments that have been washed previously. In honor of the Sabbath one may put on linen garments and cover the table with white cloths and to change towels, in the same manner as on other Sabbaths. But it is forbidden to spread white sheets.
A woman who is required to put on clean lingerie when she begins to count the seven clean days is permitted to wash the lingerie and to put them on.
It is also permissible to wash infant's diapers during these Nine Days, as they are constantly soiled.
During the Nine Days, one should not have new garments or new shoes made, or to have stockings knitted, even by a non-Jewish work-person. However, if it is very urgent, like a wedding that will take place immediately after Tisha B'Av, it is permissible in any event to give the clothes even to a Jewish tailor, who may work on them even thereafter.
Women who are accustomed not to arrange the threads for weaving, during these Nine Days, because this act is called in Hebrew "sheti," remindful of the "Even Shetiyah" (foundation stone) which had been in the Temple, such women should not be given permission to do it.
During the Nine Days, one should not bathe even in cold water, except for medical purposes, as for instance, when a woman has given birth, or is nearing childbirth, or a person who is feeble and was ordered by a physician to bathe; in these cases it is permissible to bathe even in warm water. A woman who has been menstrually unclean may bathe and immerse herself ritually as usual. If she is to perform the immersion on the night after Tisha B'Av, and it will be impossible for her to wash and cleanse on the 9th, she is permitted to wash on the day before Tisha B'Av. When putting on clean lingerie to begin counting the seven clean days, she may bathe in her accustomed manner, inasmuch as she does not do it for the sake of pleasure.
A mourner whose 30th day of mourning occurs on the 18th of Tammuz or thereafter is permitted to have his hair cut until the day before Rosh Chodesh Av. But from Rosh Chodesh on, he is not allowed either to bathe or to have the hair cut.
During the Nine Days objects of joy (simcha), silver for one's wedding, for instance, that are available after the Nine Days at the same price should not be purchased at that time.
Similarly, during the Nine Days, plants for pleasure (trees for shade or beauty, for example, or flowers for fragrance) should not be planted.
On the Sabbath during the Nine Days of Av, it's the custom to call up for the reading of the maftir the Hakham who understands the spirit of the lament, and he should not, therefore, be called up for the reading of "shelishi" (the third portion of the sedra).
This is a summary of halachot of The Three Weeks, beginning with the Fast of Tammuz 17 and ending with the Fast of 9th of Av (Tisha B'Av). The period from Rosh Chodesh until after Tisha B'Av is known as The Nine Days. These halachot come from the Shulchan Aruch, the Code of Jewish Law.
Torah: Shemot (Exodus) 32:11-15;
Shemot (Exodus) 34:1-11
Nazarean Codicil: 1 Corinthians 3:16-18;
2 Corinthians 6:14-18;
2 Thessalonians 2:7-13
Reader 1 - Shemot 32:11-15
Reader 2 - Shemot 34:1-3
Reader 3 - Shemot 34:4-11
The following essay was written By my teacher, Hakham Dr. Yoseph ben Haggai:
The 17th of the Hebrew month of Tammuz begins a three week national period of semi-mourning which culminates with the Ninth of Av (Tisha B’Av). It is a period where many tragedies have historically occurred and is considered in Jewish cosmology such an inauspicious time period that one is not allowed to get married. From the first of Av one is even advised to push off court cases until at least the 10th of Av. Traditionally, we refrain from hair-cutting, purchasing or wearing new clothing, listening to music and pleasure trips. It is a time for self-reflection and improvement. On the 17th of Tamuz five calamitous events occurred throughout history:
1) Moshe broke the first Tablets of the Ten
Commandments when he descended from
2) The daily sacrificial offerings ceased in the first Temple due to lack of sheep;
3) The walls of Jerusalem were
breached during the siege of the second
4) Apustumus-the-Wicked burned a Sefer Torah and;
5) An idol was placed in the Sanctuary of the
The 17th of Tamuz is a fast day. The fast begins
approximately an hour before sunrise and continuing until about an hour after
sunset. The purpose of the fast is to awaken our hearts to repentance through
recalling our forefathers’ misdeeds which led to
tragedies and our repetition of those mistakes. The fasting is a preparation
for repentance, to break the body’s dominance over a
person’s spiritual side. One should engage in self-examination and undertake to
correct mistakes in his relationship with G-d, his fellow man and with himself.
It is interesting to note that Saddam Hussein is a student of Jewish history. He
named the nuclear reactor (from which he planned to create a bomb to drop on
This study however
endeavors to look at the meaning of the
* What significance
does the
* And also, what
meaning does this fast of the 17th of Tammuz and the weeks up the 9th of Av pose for us?
The Background
For example, we
know that when the Romans occupied Erets Yisrael, they
set up a puppet king over Yisrael, and not content with that the true priest had to flee for their lives and take refuge in
the locality known to us today as Qumram. Eventually these exiled Priests and
Levites gave rise to a Jewish sect which today we know as the Essenes. From
what we know of and the place indicated by the Nazarean Codicil where Yochanan
the Immerser (John the Baptist) lived and taught, it is highly possible and
almost certain that Yochanan the Immerser either had very strong connections or
belonged to this sect himself as many Scholars posit today.
Thus a very
poignant question asked by any genuine Torah Observant Jew
of the first century c.e. would have been if it was Kosher to attend the Temple
services, or as the Essenes taught the place had been so desecrated and
polluted by the false priesthood that one should abstain from going into the
Temple. The Pharisees and Sadducess of the time
resolved that even though the priesthood was corrupt, yet the Holiness of the
The problem then,
was much similar as is today with regards to the question of the Modern State
of Israel, where most sects of Judaism would consider the land Holy, and accept
that, though imperfect as it may be, the Modern State of Israel is a step
towards realizing the coming of the Mashiach and
the full restoration of the Kingdom of Israel. However some of the most strict
and Orthodox sects of Judaism today, believe that the Modern State of Israel is
a delusion it is unholy and a desecration of the land and only a Theocratic
government can be seen as the answer to heed a return to the land, and that
this can only happen when the Messiah returns.
So, the question
was very real, and Messiah Himself as were his illustrious Pharisaic relatives
presented with this dilemma. As we know, Messiah came from a “Judean” royal
family and lived during his early years and youth in the vicinity (close
proximity) of the great school of Rabbi Hillel, and the text of the Nazarean
Codicil points in the direction that Mashiach
attended the School of Hillel who was also a descendant of King David[9] who
was also Nassi[10] of
the Sanhedrin, and which was at that time under the direction of R. Hillel’s
disciple and son Rabbi Shim’on ben Hillel Hazaken who was also Nassi of the
Sanhedrin, and later under the direction of his disciple and son Rabban Gamliel
Hazaken. Rabban Gamliel Hazaken[11] was
also Nassi of the Sanhedrin in the century preceding the destruction of the
From the historical
records we know that since Mashiach was a descendant of King David as was also R.
Hillel, and his son Rabbi Shim’on ben Hillel Hazaken, and his grandson Rabban
Gamliel Hazaken, they must have been well acquainted with each other since both
belonged to the same tightly knit Royal family. The record of the Nazarean
Codicil at the Gemara level states:
Luqas
(Luke) 1:40; 2:52 And the child grew and became strong in spirit
(Pneumati) being filled with wisdom (Sofias), and the grace
(Charis) of G-d was upon him. … And Yeshua advanced
in wisdom (Sofia), and stature (Ilikia), and in favor (Chariti) with G-d and
men.
Now the Greek word
“
“And Yeshua advanced (grew) in
“CHOCHMAH” (wisdom), and “DA’AT” (knowledge), and in “BINAH” (understanding)
with G-d and men”
Now, in Judaism
there is a specific system of instruction and schooling of youngsters and
adults which is called “CHABAD” which specifically targets these three key areas of development in the individual
(Chochmah (wisdom), Binah (understanding), and Da’at (intellectual knowledge).
It is the same educational system employed to this very day by the Chassidim
and Sephardim in their primary, secondary education as well as in their
undergraduate and prost-graduate Academies. Today, Chassidim call their
out-reach (often proselytistic) posts “CHABAD Houses,” which is somewhat of a
misnomer. The school of Rabbi Hillel became prominent in the use of this
educational system, and thus this text in the Gemara of I Luqas (Luke) hints to
the fact that Yeshua attended the primary, secondary and Rabbinical Academy of
Rabbi Hillel, which most probably at that time was headed by his son Rabbi
Shim’on ben Hillel Hazaken as we posited above, and which together with the
School of R. Shamai were the Oxford’s and Cambridge’s of that time and where
Israel’s elite, and nobility received instruction.
By the way, Rabbi
Robertt Eisenman, Prof. at UCLA has published a book called: “James the Brother
of Jesus: The Key to Unlocking the Secrets of Early
Christianity and the Dead Sea Scrolls,” published by Penguin, USA (paperback), as
well as in his book: “The Dead Sea Scrolls and the First Christians: Essays
and Translations” makes a very educated claim that Hakham Ya’aqov Ha-Tsadiq
(James) the brother of Mashiach was also a great authority
in the Sanhedrin and a product of the School of Hillel as was his elder
brother. This further confirms my claims, and adds strength to my arguments
albeit from a different perspective. All of this, gives us a strong indication
that the Jewish Nazareans were a sub-sect of Pharisaic Judaism and were much an
integral part and product of that milieu.
We know from the
behavior of Mashiach’s parents, Yosef and Miriam,
that they presented the child Yeshua at the Temple for the ceremony of Pidyon Ha-Ben (Redemption of the firstborn).
And again the Gemara of Hakham Dr. Luqas records:
“And when were
fulfilled the days for her (Miriam’s) purification
according to the law of Moshe, they brought him to Yerushalayim to present to HaShem,
as it has been written in the Torah of HaShem, that “every male opening a womb
shall be called Holy to HaShem;” and to offer a sacrifice according to that
which has been said in the Torah of HaShem,
“A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
1
Luqas 2:22-25 And behold there was a man in Yerushalayim
whose name was Shim’on and this man was just and pious, waiting for the
consolation of Yisrael, and the spirit of G-d’s
Holiness was upon him.
It is obvious from
this text that the “man in Yerushalayim whose name was Shim’on, a just and
pious man” was non other than the Nassi of the Jewish Sanhedrin in
Yerushalayim, Rabbi Shim’on ben Hillel Hazaken, a Most Distinguished relative
of Yosef and Mashiach himself, and all members of the Royal family of Yisrael!
It is obvious then, that whilst the Nazareans alike the Pharisees held in great
respect the claims of the Essenes to be the genuine inheritors of the Priesthood, they nevertheless accepted the sanctity of
the
Now we know that
Herod the Great, the founder of the Herodian dynasty, though technically Jewish
by birth, his family was Idumean (Edomites), who had
been forcibly converted to Judaism under the Hasmonean Maccabees circa the
second century b.c.e., and as the historical records describe him neither his
religious behavior nor his ethics reflected anything of Judaism. He was
consistently paranoid about his power, and had all his rivals exterminated,
including those of his wife’s family and even some of his very own children.
Numbers Rabbah 4:14, describe Herod and the building of the magnificent
In TB Baba Bathra 3b we read the following concerning the
credentials of King Herod:
“Herod was a slave in the Hasmonean
house, and had set his eyes on a certain maiden of that house (Mariamne, the
daughter of Alexander, a son of Aristobolus II. According to Josephus, she was
put to death by Herod after being married to him
for several years). One day he heard a voice from heaven
say, “Every slave that rebels now will succeed.” So he rose and killed all the
members of his master’s household, but spared the
maiden. When she saw that he wanted to marry her, she went up unto a roof and
cried out, “Whosoever comes and says, I am from the Hasmonean house, is a
slave, since I alone am left of it, and I am throwing myself down from this
roof. … He (Herod) arose and killed all the Rabbis, sparing however Baba ben
Buta, that he might take counsel of him. … How came Baba b. Buta to do this,
give advice to Herod, seeing that Rabbi Judah has said in the name of Rab (or
maybe R. Joshua ben Levi) that Daniel was punished only because he gave advice
to Nebuchadnezzar, as it is written: “Whrefore, O king, let my counsel be
acceptable unto you, and atone your sins by righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy
to the poor, if there may be a legthening of your tranquility, etc.” (Daniel
4:24), and again, “All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar,” (Daniel 4:25),
and again, “At the end of the twelve months, etc.” ?
– If you like I can say that this does not apply to a slave of an Israelite such as Herod was, who is under the
obligation to keep the commandments of the Torah …”
And what shall we
say of the apostate priests in the Temple headed by Caiphas, whose real Hebrew name was Kathros and Ananias whose real Hebrew
name was Chanin? The Babylonian Talmud[13] says
this concerning these apostate Priests:
“It was taught,
Abba Shaul said: There were sycamore tree-trunks in
One must note that
it was these Idumean kings in
And so the wise
House of Hillel and its wise Hakhamim, noting the difficulty of the times, and
the futility of opposing the Romans, and believing that it is better for the
people to have a bad government that no government at all decided that it was
better for the people to revere G-d and His House,
and tolerate the corrupt Arab priests and Kings, than plunge the nation into a
blood bath and with little hope of winning. From the record of the Nazarean
Codicil we know that the Nazareans adopted the same policy. For we read:
2
Luqas (Acts) 2:46-47 And every day steadfastly continuing with one
accord in the Temple, and breaking bread in their houses they partook of food with gladness and singleness of heart, praising G-d
and having favor with the whole people; and HaShem added daily
those who were being delivered to the assembly.
This is after the
death of Mashiach, and they were going daily to the
services of the Temple in which sacrifices were made three times a day! And even though, the priesthood was
corrupt, yet they considered the Holiness of G-d’s House greater than the sin of the priests and High
Priests. We further note, later in history that Hakham Shaul had no problem
himself in offering sacrifices in the
2
Luqas (Acts) 21:18-26 And on the following day Shaul went in with us
to Ya’aqov, and all the Hakhamim assembled. And having saluted them, he related
one by one what thing wrought G-d among the Gentiles
by his ministry. And they (the Hakhamim) having heard glorified HaShem. And they
said to him, “You see brother, how many myriads there are of Jews who have believed, and all are zealous ones of the
Torah. And they have been informed concerning you that you teach apostasy from
Moshe to all the Jews amongst the Gentiles telling them not to circumcise their children nor to walk
in our customs. What then is it? Certainly a multitude will come together,
for they will hear that you have come. This therefore, do what we say to you.
There are with us four men having a (Nazarite)
vow on themselves, these take and be purified with
them, and bear the expense for them, that they may shave the head;
and all may know that which they have been informed about you is false, but
that you yourself also walk orderly, observing the Torah. But concerning those
who have believed among the Gentiles we wrote,
judging them not to observe such things, except to keep
themselves from things offered to idols, and blood, and what is strangled, and
fornication.” Then Shaul, having taken the men, on the next day having been
purified with them, entered into the Temple,
declaring the fulfillment of the days of purification,
until was offered for each one of them the offering (sacrifice).”
So, for Nazareans,
the
Yochanan
(John) 2:19 Destroy this
Now, please note
the following:
a) Whilst the text goes on to say in
vv. 21 and 22 that this referred to his body, these two verses could well be and interpolation by a “Christian
monk” trying to improve the writing of Yochanan, and whilst this forum is not
the place to go into this subject, I sincerely believe that these two verses
(John 2:21 and 22) were not in the original writing of Yochanan, although he
was surely speaking of his “body” but not his body.
b)
That in my opinion the Jews were correct in taking
Mashiach literally when they said in v. 20 “Forty-six years was this
c) That he said “Destroy Herod’s
d) Please note that as I pointed
above the two days came to an end in 1948, and at present we are walking towards the realization of the third day which
has yet conclude. The text in Hosea makes it clear that “after two days he will
revive us” but it is not until the end of the third day that “He will raise us
up.” Please note that I am not giving, insinuating or pointing to any future dates and I pray you follow my example. I have
simply stated when the two days finished, and we know
that the third day will be shortened, so please do not speculate since the Oral Torah forbids us to engage in any speculation of
things we do not know and as Mashiach well said “only the Father knows,” that is,
not even Mashiach nor the angels know when the end of the third day will be.
Two Specific Nazarean Understandings of the
I want here to
bring to the fore two Nazarean understandings of the Temple which although
penned by two different Nazarean Hakhamim and covering two differing topics yet
the one goes hand in glove with the other. Each of these perspectives demand of
us to take not a mere human perspective of things and history, but rather to
enlarge our minds and think from a global, heavenly perspective (as if we were
under situated next to the throne of glory and looking down to earth). This
view also demands of us to be extremely careful with our texts and if necessary
to put a couple of match sticks between our eyelids to keep our eyes open wide
and observe all nuances of the texts.
Two such nuances
that we must keep in mind at all times are find in Sefer Shemot (the Book of
Exodus). The first one concerns G-d’s command to build Him a Tabernacle. Let us look at the command in detail:
Shemot
25:8 VeAsu (And let them make) Li (for Me) Miqdash
(a sanctuary) VeShakhan’ti (that I may dwell)
BeTokham (in their mist).
To avoid the
possibility that you may think I am fabricating things I am going to quote here
exactly from the Yalkut MeAm Lo’Ez[14] which
was started by Hakham Ya’aqov Culi, and after his death, and particularly this
portion was by the pen of Hakham Yitchaq Magriso in 1732, and translated to
English by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, and published by Moznaim Publishing Co. (1990).
I am quoting here verbatim selections from Vol. 9, pp. 26-32 of this work.
“The
Tabernacle here is called a sanctuary, MIKDASH in Hebrew, even though it was not the Holy
Temple (which is usually referred to as the “Mikdash” or “Bet HaMikdash”).
The word “Mikdash” literally means a “
G-d
literally said that if the Israelites make the
Tabernacle, “I will dwell inside them.” Since He was speaking of the Tabernacle, He
should have said, “I will dwell inside it.”
But this teaches
that the main element of the Tabernacle was not the boards and other materials
out of which it was built. The main element was the purity
of heart on the part of the Israelites who built the Tabernacle. They had to be
good, G-d fearing Jews, and spiritual people. Then
they would be able to cause the Divine Presence to dwell inside them – literally – since they would be
closely attached to G-d.
Therefore, the main
place where the Divine Presence would rest would be inside the Israelites, and
not in the wood and metal of the Tabernacle, which were secondary to the heart.
The only reason a
physical building had to be built was to motivate the people spiritually. When
a person enters the Tabernacle, the
Such a structure is
then called a sanctuary, a Tabernacle, a holy congregation or a
The only purpose of
the physical structure is to awaken people from their spiritual
sleep, and so direct their consciousness towards G-d.
The person says to himself, “Since I am in this
In general, then,
the people themselves are the true Tabernacle. Therefore, after G-d said, “Make
Me a sanctuary,” He said, “Thus must you do.” This teaches that the people must
work on themselves to make the Tabernacle, and they will accomplish this by purifying their hearts[16].
When G-d gave this
commandment, He said, “Let them make Me a sanctuary.” One reason that G-d
changed the wording here, and called it a “sanctuary” (MIQDASH) instead of a “Tabernacle” (MISHKHAN) was to teach that the commandment
was not only for that time. Rather, there is a
commandment for all times to build a sanctuary to G-d[17].
This commandment
implies that wherever there are ten adult male Jews,
they have an obligation to build a structure dedicated for prayer.
This structure is known as a synagogue, BET HA-KENESSET
in Hebrew. Literally, BET HA-KENESSET means a “house
of assembly,” since it is a place where all the men assemble every morning and evening to worship.
A community has the
right to force all its members to participate in building a synagogue. The community similarly has an obligation to
purchase Torah Scrolls and other books needed for
the Synagogue[18].
G-d therefore said
that the Israelites must build a sanctuary (MIQDASH).
The Synagogue is also called a sanctuary (MIQDASH).
The verse therefore teaches that in every generation
there is an obligation to build synagogues where needed[19].
Building a
synagogue is counted as an act as great as building the Holy
Temple. The prayers offered each day in the Synagogue are like the service
(AVODAH) of bringing sacrifice, which was done in the
If a person
participates in building a synagogue, and his intent is for the sake of heaven, he will be worthy of witnessing the building of Yerushalayim. Therefore, one must put all his efforts into
this. He must realize that his efforts will cause the Divine Presence to rest
in Yisrael. One cannot even begin to estimate the benefits of this. Besides all
this, the person who builds a synagogue is also bringing merit
to multitudes. Every day people use the Synagogue to worship, and there is no
limit to the benefit received from this[21].
The Talmud teaches that a person’s worship is only heard at
the time that the congregation is worshiping in the synagogue[22]. Therefore, if one wakes up late and cannot
get to synagogue on time, he still should not worship at home. Even if he must
do so alone he must do it in the Synagogue[23]. This is true even if a person has a clean
room in his house where he can worship. Many people live in close quarters
where it is absolutely forbidden to worship in the house. This is specially
true where there are young babies and dirty diapers in the house.
Unless there are
extenuating circumstances, a person must recite all three
services, morning, afternoon, and evening, in the synagogue with the
congregation. When there are ten Jewish men in the
Synagogue, the Divine Presence precedes them, as it is written, “G-d stands in
the G-dly congregation”[24].
It is also written,
“My prayer shall be to You at an acceptable time”[25]. The Talmud says
that “an acceptable time” is the time when the congregation is worshiping.
G-d also said, “If
any person studies Torah (or supports Torah study), does deeds of kindness, and
worships with the congregation, I will count it as if he had liberated Me and
my children from among the nations.” King David thus said, “He has redeemed my
soul with peace, because many have been with me”[26]. He was saying, “The reason that G-d redeemed my soul from the enemies who attack me, was
because many were with me–because I always worshiped with the congregation.”
If one is unable to
go to synagogue, and worships at home, he should at least worship at the same time as the congregation. He should not delay until after
the congregation has finished. As we have seen, the time that the congregation
worships is a time of acceptance.
If a person
worships in a synagogue, it is as if he had brought
a meal offering (MINCHAH). That is, it is counted as if he brought a gift to
G-d[27].
It is written, “I
am a wall, and my breasts are like towers”[28]. Torah scholars are called a “wall” since
the merit of the Torah that they study protects the Israelites and annuls evil decrees, just as a wall
protects a city and prevents the enemy from entering.
Synagogues and houses of study, however, are called
towers. The merit of Torah and prayer protect the generation, just as towers protect a city. Since the
towers are very high, they provide more protection than that afforded by a
wall. The people in the tower can shoot arrows and catapult stones at the enemy
and cause him to flee.
Rabbi Chanina
taught that we can understand the value of the synagogue from the fact that,
although G-d has millions of angels who sing praise to Him each day, He desires
only the prayers of
Thus, when
When a person is in
synagogue, he must stand in awe and reverence, realizing that the Divine
Presence is there with him. It is thus written, “I have set G-d before me at
all times”.[31]
One must be very
careful not to engage in idle chatter in the
synagogue. This has already been discussed in detail.
If one is in the
habit of attending synagogue, and does not come one day, G-d asks about him. If
he did not come because he was involved in doing a good deed, it is acceptable.
But if he did not come because of his business affairs, he will not have any
success, since he did not place his trust in G-d.
Rabbi Yochanan
taught that if there is not a quorum (minyan) of ten men
in the synagogue, G-d becomes angry, and says, “Why have I come and there is no
one to greet me; I called and no one answered”[32]. G-d was asking, “Why was there no one to
respond Amen and to say Kedushah?”
If one has a
synagogue in his neighborhood and does not attend he is called a bad neighbor.
What’s more, he causes exile for himself and his
children[33].
When Balak summoned
Balaam to curse Yisrael[34]. The first curse that Balaam wished to
pronounce against them was that they should not have synagogues and study
halls. G-d, however, transformed all the curses into blessings[35]. However when the Israelites sinned, all
the curses were restored, except for the one involving synagogues and study
halls. Balaam had said, “How god are your tents, Jacob,
your tabernacles,
In the Messianic
Age, all the synagogues and places of Torah study in
other lands will be uprooted and moved to the Holy Land[38]. We see that two
great mountains,
Now, let me say
this, the Yalkut Me’Am Lo’Ez, is greatly treasured among all Sephardim, and
greatly revered and studied particularly by the Sephardim of the Spanish / Portuguese
Minhag (custom). I still remember memorizing sections of this commentary in
Ladino during my youth. Now, I would like you to compare this commentary with
the writings of Hakham Tsefet (Peter) concerning the Nazarean view of the Temple and observe what commonalities exist between Hakham
Tsefet’s authoritative view and the above commentary from the Yalkut Me’Am
Lo’Ez (Pueblo Ladinador). Hakham Shimon bar Tsefet (Peter) writes to Jewish
Nazarean converts living throughout the Diaspora:
“Having laid aside, therefore, all
malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envyings, and Lashon Hara (evil
speakings), as new born babes long ye after the genuine milk of the Torah, that
by it you may grow, if indeed you did taste that HaShem is good[39].To whom
coming a living stone by men indeed rejected, but with G-d chosen, and approved
as genuine, also yourselves, as living stones, let yourselves be built up into
a spiritual house (Temple), for a holy priesthood to bring up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable
to G-d through Yeshua the Mashiach.
Wherefore also, it is contained in the Scriptures[40]:
“Behold I am placing in Tsiyon a corner stone, chosen, precious, and he that
believes in (or “adheres to”) him shall not be put to shame.” To you therefore
who believe (adhere) is the preciousness, but to those disobeying, the stone
which those building rejected, the same has become head of the corner, and a
stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, who stumble at the Torah,
being disobedient, to which (purpose) they were also appointed. But you are a
chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar treasure[41], that
you might show forth the virtues of Him Who called you out of darkness to His
wonderful light (of the Torah & Mashiach). Who once were not a people, but now
are G-d’s people, who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”[42]
A cursory reading
of the dimensions of the Messianic Temple in Ezekiel
in fact shows its massive measurements, and almost no measure is given of stone
blocks nor in fact rooms. In fact the Edenic
The second passage
that I would like to introduce now comes from the pen of Hakham Shaul in his
letter to the Thessalonian converts to Orthodox Nazarean Judaism. Please note
how the
2
Thessalonians 2:1-12 Now, we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of
our Master Yeshua the Messiah and our gathering together to him, for you not to be quickly
shaken in mind, nor be troubled, neither by spirit
nor by word, nor by epistle, as if by us as that the day of the Messiah is
present. Not anyone should deceive you in any way, because it will not be
unless the apostasy shall have come first, and the man of sin
shall have been revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself
above all called G-d or object of veneration, so as for him in the Temple of G-d, as G-d to sit down, setting forth himself
that he is G-d. Do you not remember that, yet being with you, these things I
said to you? And now that which restrains you know, for him to be revealed in
his own time. For the mystery already of lawlessness is working; only there is he who restrains at
present until out of the midst he be gone, and then will be revealed the
lawless one whom the Master will consume with the breath of his mouth, and
annul by the appearing of his coming; whose coming is according to the working
of Satan in every power and signs and wonders of
falsehood, and in every deceit of injustice in them that perish, because the
love of the truth they received not for them to be delivered. And on account of
this, G-d will send to them a working of error, for them to believe what is
false, that they may be judged all who believe not the truth, but delights in
injustice”.
Whilst many
interpretations have been made on this particular passage to apply to the
circumstances of those making these interpretations, and indeed as the Sages
claim each text has a myriad of interpretations, yet we know that Hakham Shaul
is pointing specifically to a third Temple to be
rebuilt in which a pseudo Mashiach will rise up
(man of sin) and desecrate the third Temple. Hakham
Shaul is stating that the real Mashiach will not come until this person appears
first with his third
Conclusion:
For me as a Jewish Hakham
I surely do love in great measure the
“Whosoever there is
among you of His entire people – May HaShem his G-d be with him, and let him go
up!”
May it be well with
you during the fast!
Shalom Ubrechot!
Hakham Dr. Yosef
ben Haggi
* * *
This study was written by Hillel ben David
(Greg Killian).
Comments may be submitted to:
Greg Killian
7104 Inlay St SE
Lacey, WA 98513
Internet address: gkilli@aol.com
Web page: http://www.betemunah.org/
(360) 584-9352
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Send comments to Greg Killian at his email address: gkilli@aol.com
[1] The Old Testament
[2] Shulchan Aruch Orech Chayim 549
[3] Ta’anith 4:5
[4] Book XX chapter 5 of Antiquities
[5] II Kings 21:7. Mishna, Ta'anit 4:6
[6] Bava Batra 7b
[7] The Sabbath before Tisha B’Av.
[8] Isaiah 66
[9] Jerusalem Talmud Taan. 4:2; Ket. 62; Beresheet Rabba R 33:3; Toseftah to Sanh. 5
[10] Chief Judge
[11] the grandson of R. Hillel
[12] The New Testament
[13] Pesachim 57a
[14] Commentary of the Pueblo Ladinador
[15] cf. Alshekh; Siftei Kohen
[16] cf. Chen Tov
[17] cf. Kesef Mishneh on Yad, Bet HaBechira 1
[18] cf. Yad, Tefillah 11; Orach Chaim 150
[19] cf. Sifetey Cohen, p. 122
[20] cf. Zohar BeShalach 59b
[21] cf. Menorat HaMaor
[22] cf. Berakhot 6a
[23] cf. Orach Chaim 90
[25] Psalms 69:14
[26] Psalms 55:19
[27] cf. Talmud Yershalmi, Berakhot 5:1, 33b
[28] Song of Songs 8:10
[29] Proverbs 14.28
[30] Isaiah 43:21
[31] Psalms 16:8
[32] Isaiah 50:2
[33] cf. Berakhot 6ab
[34] Numbers 22:5,6
[35] Deut. 23:6
[36] Numbers 24:5
[37] Sanhedrin 105a
[38] Megillah 29a
[39] Psalm 34:9 – 8 in the KJV
[40] Yeshayahu 28:16
[41] Shemot 19:5,6
[42] 1 Peter 2:1-10